A Long Journey
by Magicgirl29
Summary: AU Story: Ambrose is saved by Cain and Jeb in the fields of the Papay. and the Tin man and his son are happy to help the advisor find princess DG. Adventure/Friendship/Family
1. Escape

AU Story: This story features Cain/Ambrose/Jeb perhaps a bit of DG as well towards the end. Ambrose escapes Azkadellia's castle and searches for princess DG who is now 20 annuals old. Meanwhile, Cain and Jeb try to escape the clutches of the long coats. But once they notice Adora is gone for good they leave to try and start a new life in Finaqua, but along the way they hear a cry for help in the fields of the Papay.

Ambrose felt more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He knew Azkadellia was trying to trick him, he could see right through her.

"Here" She told him pushing him into a lab in her palace. "You can build weapons for my long coats in here" The door suddenly slammed shut and Ambrose was left alone in the dark room, he was planning his escape. Wait! He knew what to do, he was just going to run at least if he escaped he could find DG and keep her safe. He opened the two heavy metal doors and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him to the front doors of the castle.

He was going to make it, he could smell thee fresh spring air, when suddenly he was grabbed! 5 Long coats surrounded him; they tried to drag him back to the palace but there was no way Ambrose was going back to that dreadful place, this is where 3 annuals of combat training comes in handy. Ambrose squeezed his eyes shut as he fought back then about 30 seconds later he re-opened them and noticed the men lying down lifeless on the floor.

"It's all about rhythm" He smiled to himself straitening the torso of his royal uniform. Then he looked up,

"Sorceress, the advisor's getting away!" Wailed a long coat looking from the balcony. Ambrose didn't even think he just ran through the trees. _Finaqua!_ That's it! He thought to himself, as a child whenever DG got lost or ran away he'd always find her in Finaqua. Now he knew where he was going only one thing worried him... How would he cross the fields of the Papay, _without_ being caught?

*

"Leave my son out of this!" Cain wailed as they pulled the 15 annual boy out of the rickety old house. Jeb thought back as best he could, sadly when you're outnumbered by at least 20-25 long coats it is obvious you are going to lose. Suddenly they heard a woman's scream and everything fell deathly silent, as Jeb and Cain saw Adora fall lifelessly to the floor at the hands of a long coat they had never seen before.

Jeb quickly escaped the long coats grasp and threw himself to his mother's side. Tears fell from his eyes and smacked against her pale white skin. Long coats tried to pull Jeb away but he ran to the forest before they had the chance.

"Get the Tin man in the tin suite" Hissed a long coat, Cain screamed Adora's name over and over as he was dragged to his prison. One long coat had captured the whole event in a handy device called the T.D.E.S.P.H.T.L. (_Try Dimensional Energy Stored Projected Time Loop._) This was a device that Ambrose had created; it was also stolen from his office and he hadn't even noticed.

Jeb saw the whole thing from behind the trees. When his father was locked in the tin suite and the long coats had gone, he finally made his move. He ran to his father's bedroom being careful in avoiding the falling planks of wood from the walls which thee long coats had destroyed. He opened his father's tool box and pulled out a wrench. He then made his way to the tin suite and hit the hinges continuously. One... Twice then the third time a screw came out at the side, then he started on the last screw below. One.... Twice then success the suite opened and Jeb captured his father as he fell out.

"Well done son, I'm proud of you" He told him with a weak smile, "Make your mother a headstone, we're going to give her a proper goodbye." He said running his hands through his son's hair. Jeb nodded,

"Can we take her to the pond in the woods? It was her favourite place to go" He asked hopefully. Cain nodded as Jeb went inside to sculpt a headstone.

Jeb appeared beside the whole his mother lied in; he placed the headstone in the grass. "_Here lies Adora Cain"_

"What's that" Cain asked pointing at the small piece of paper in his son's hands,

"It's a copy of our family portrait... I thought mother would like it" He smiled weakly, Cain nodded and moved to one side so his son could place the picture down, Jeb lifted up her cold pale hand and placed the picture on her heart. He turned away as Cain filled the whole,

"What now?" Jeb asked.

"Now we go start a new life" He turned to face his wife's grave "It is what she would have wanted." Jeb nodded he snuck another copy of the family portrait and slipped it into his pocket,

"We could go to Finaqua" Jeb suggested, Cain nodded and they both headed off,

"And I have a gun so we'll be safe at the fields of the Papay" He smiled, Jeb nodded and followed.


	2. The Tin man and the Advisor

Ambrose wondered through the fields of the Papay, he was being extremely careful to not make a sound he did not want to attract the Papay runners. Even though Ambrose was a tremendous fighter, he would not stand a chance against the runners. If he got too close to a runner and aggravated it, the chances are he'd get injected with venom from the fangs of the runners. As he walked between the deathly trees he heard something..... _What was that?_ He thought to himself, then he heard a snarl he looked around then; He saw it-well- them, he saw two Papay runners.

He fell deathly silent as he started to back away slowly, the runners moved forward a little to (Even though they were moving slower than snails) Ambrose was still paralyzed with fear... But he made the biggest mistake ever when he moved back, _SNAP!_ He quickly looked down and saw he'd stepped on a twig! He didn't know what to do, he thought he'd take a chance so turned around and sprinted off and of cause the runners followed behind with lightning speed, he was going to turn to his right and run out but three other runners joined the race and he ended up cornered. He had stopped and accidently backed up and fell in the centre of a white pale tree.

He looked around him and saw the branches of the trees divided around him, the Papay runners spat something out of their mouths, it was blue, slimy, sticky and there was a hell of a stink! When Ambrose decided to hold his breath and concentrate on the runners movements, he'd noticed what the slime was, he gasped.

"Enzyme!" He knew exactly what was going to happen. He watched in horror as the runners trapped him inside an Enzyme cocoon. He didn't feel he could stop them even if he did fight back. Once it was done and he was firmly trapped inside the cocoon he was immediately frozen! Well not completely but he was cold. At first he tried to fight his way out but it was no good, he was tired and weak. His eyes grew heavy but he knew the longer he stayed awake the longer he'd survive, so he thought he'd at least try and call for help, hopefully someone could save him.

Cain and Jeb wondered through the Papay fields,

"Wait!" Cain said making Jeb stop to a sudden halt, "Did you hear that?" Jeb looked around.

"Hear what?" He asked, both men froze, what Cain had first heard was a scream and now he heard a faint cry instead,

"He-lp me pl-ea-se some-bod-y" Whoever it was begging for help, had been coughing while talking he sounded like he was in pain.

"Oh yeah, I heard that" Jeb said looking around, "Look there!" Cain looked to where his son pointed and saw a _**huge**_ cocoon. Both men ran to it,

"What do we do?" Jeb asked nervously,

"Just watch my back and make sure no runners come" Jeb nodded as Cain pulled the razor out of his coats inside pocket. He took care in opening the cocoon he didn't want to hurt however or whatever was inside of it.

Ambrose tiredly looked to the small hole that got bigger and bigger, the light that shined through burned his eyes as he fell out of his Enzyme prison.

"Are you ok?" Cain asked helping the man to his feet; Jeb joined his father in helping the man up. Ambrose couldn't talk so he nodded instead.

"RUNNERS!" Jeb shouted suddenly, the three men looked up,

"RUN!" Cain shouted and Jeb helped Ambrose run. Eventually they reached a cliff,

"What now?" Jeb asked worriedly still holding the other man up straight.

"Jump!" Cain shouted from behind them, he then ran up and pushed his way between Ambrose and Jeb, he took their arms in his, "On the count of three. 1... 2.... 3!"

"ARRRRRRR!" screamed all three men as they fell to the water below.

When all men had settled at the camp site they had created (If you can call two logs and one fire a camp site) Cain had put his long gray coat on Ambrose's back to keep him warm.

"Err, sir" Jeb said getting the man's attention. "I got some apples and I thought you'd like one, after well you know" Ambrose smiled and took the apple.

"Thank you my dear boy, but erm you need not call me sir... Just call me Ambrose" He told him simply. Jeb nodded then realized the name,

"You're Ambrose?!" He asked in an excited way, Ambrose was confused of the boy's excitement.

"Yes"

"You're the queen's advisor?" Cain asked,

"How do you know?" Ambrose asked confused, anyone who wasn't friends or family with the king, queen or princesses didn't know the advisors name.

"Oh, me and my team went to the palace once to protect the castle when the king travelled back to the other side to collect his things." Cain told him.

"Oh, you're a tin man?" Ambrose asked sounding interested.

"Yes—well--- was that was before the long coats destroyed our family." Cain said sadly grabbing an apple from the tree beside him.

"Yeah and using your invention to help do it" Jeb breathed angrily as he sat down beside his father. Jeb wasn't angry with Ambrose it isn't like he intended for this to happen.

"Jeb!" Cain snapped.

"Pardon?" Ambrose asked, looking up sad and confused. "My invention?"

"Nothing, nothing" Cain said trying to push off the thought.

"No please, if my invention is being used I have a right to know" Ambrose begged.

"No you've been through a lot" Cain sighed.

"Please" He begged again.

"I'll tell him" Jeb said putting one hand on his father's shoulder. "They used the T.D.E.S.P.H.T.L. To torture my father, they were going to lock him in a tin suite and force him to watch holograms of me being beaten and my mother dying." Ambrose was shocked.

"The Try Dimensional Energy Stored Projected holographic Time Loop." He whispered under his breath "No it can't be"

"What?" Jeb asked. Ambrose looked up with sharp eyes.

"I tried my very best to keep that safe, she must have stolen it from my lab" He hit himself on the forehead then stood up and handed the coat back to Cain before taking his leave.

"Where are you going?" Cain asked. While facing the other way Ambrose spoke.

"I need to find princess DG in Finaqua"

"Well that's where we're going, we could help you" Cain said suddenly. Ambrose spun around.

"Thank you but I cannot take the risk"

"Risk?" Cain asked standing up, Jeb copied this action.

"Yes, all that has happened is my fault. All my inventions are now torturing the good people of the OZ. I can't risk anyone else getting hurt"

"But those inventions were stolen, and c'mon we won't get hurt" Jeb said.

"Look" Ambrose sighed "I escaped Azkadellia's castle ok. And her long coats are looking for me, if they find me they'll take you too"

"We don't care... Look my son is gold and platinum in the OZ tin man recruiting academy and I am head tin man on the mystic man's protection detail" Cain said. He had Ambrose convinced.

"Alright then, you can come"

"Alright" Cain said reaching for the man's hand to shake it.

"NO, NO!" Ambrose screamed as Cain shook his hand, suddenly a large white circle danced around the men's hands.

"Your magic?" Jeb and Cain asked in unison. Ambrose stuttered nervously, and walked back so he was at a distance from both men before turning to run away.

"Wait Ambrose come back!" They both shouted, but Ambrose kept running...

_TBC..._


End file.
